Timing, as they say, is everything. When I opened the March issue of SLJ and saw my daughter’s smiling face staring back at me (Stories from the Cloud), it should have been a joyous occasion. However, because the state of Texas does not adequately fund public education, the week before the article came out, all of the campus librarian positions in my district were eliminated, including of course, mine. Paraprofessionals will be replacing us. The trickle-down budget cuts will also affect Natalia. In Texas, before you can become a school librarian, which is her dream, you have to teach for two years. She was to take her alternative certifications courses this April but is opting out. Hundreds of probationary teachers throughout the state are losing their positions. She comprehends the fact that there will be no secondary English openings in any district for first year teachers. She’s wary of a profession with such a precarious future. The unfortunate consequence of this is that she is seriously considering dropping out of her MLS program. What a waste of talent and enthusiasm for our libraries and our students.

Very excited about our apps advisory group, which meets tomorrow am at our offices. Our advisors have grown by one. Matt Bassett, Executive Producer, for One Hundred Robots will be joining us. His full bio, along with deets on the entire bunch of advisors, lives here.

The house iPads have been loaded with apps recommended by the group, and we’re eager to hear what they have to say.

Here are the talking points our editors have devised. Surely we won’t solve all the issues involved, but you gotta start somewhere… Let us know what you think.

What elements in an app make a successful product?What is the advantage to learning? What are enhancements providing kids?In terms of child/user engagement, what aspects should be addressed in a review?Given our mission, what should we be reviewing? What value can SLJ bring to the overarching conversation about apps?For our librarian advisors – How many [apps] are you buying, how are you funding them, how are you creating access for users/patrons, what place do apps have in library collections?What is the future of apps? Where is the technology, content, market going?